Digg: The Good, The Bad and The Downright Ridiculous

[johnboulder]

Good evening all.

It recently came to my attention that the ny-dev.com domain is banned from digg due to 'spam', or reports of spam relating to our posts.

When Danny attempted to contact Digg regarding this issue, as we are still a small site trying to expand, and one of the avenues we've selected in order to achieve this is through partnerships with sites like digg to get our content out there - he received the following (I presume automated) response from digg:

When submitted stories are consistently reported as spam and users complain via our feedback email about submission spam, we ban the domain. The domain will not be unbanned. The domain would consistently get reported as spam otherwise.

-The Digg Watch Team.

We are not the first innocent party to be banned by the draconian policies implemented and maintained by Digg, on a recent trawl through the web for related issues, I came accross this: And the List of Domains Ditched by Digg Keeps Growing » 10e20 - Search, Design & Social

While site's like Digg are, of course, entitled to their own policies and measures - a permanent ban on a site for 'spam' is at best questionable, this is akin to chopping of a person's head for broadcasting the fact they like apples!! Yes, a bit of a drastic comparison, but on ethat I feel is just.

The amusing thing I found is that a lot of the digg community are also not fans of SEO, and will try to ban a domain by reporting it as spam in order to eliminate the articles on SEO and related techniques. Now, correct me if I'm wrong - but digg itself is an enormously potent SEO resource - delivering content to digg instantly brings the URI it refers to increased hits.

So not only outdated and draconian, it seems digg's members' ideals are also schizophrenic at best, and hypocracy at worst.

Though we could go through a lot of hair pulling about this one, as we are a small community, and, as things go - digg doesn't seem to be interested in the efforts of the people driving it's content anymore - we're not likely to get our name un-banned (you saw the email)...

Digg is still a powerful resource, but I implore the administrators of digg and diggnation to review their policies, and, at the very least, set up a review and appeals process for users, like us, who feel we've been barred from delivering content through their engine without due cause.

When I tried to get some answers out of digg for exactly which posts we were being banned about, I got nada - when Danny tried, all he got was the email above.

In light of the above, I have created a small script on my host - Digg: Modify your policies, please?.

Please feel free to contribute your own views on this.

Regards

[danielmichel]

The hypocrisy of digg and spam
Source: Online Marketing Blog

More aggressive SMO marketers often talk about being careful not to get user accounts banned on digg. But what about the domain name? Banning user accounts has to do with the actions of the user. That is, behaviors and actions the user can control.
However, a domain name brings into other considerations. For example, whether or not influential members of the digg community like or don’t like a certain site or topic, regardless of what the mass of digg users respond to in the form of story submissions and votes. The site or blog owner has little control over whether other people submit stories and/or vote on them, bury them or report them as spam. Even if they’re not.
Sites can be banned from having their stories submitted to digg based on the activities of others having nothing to do with the site owner.
I recently learned from a top digg member that certain digg community members decided to start getting rid of SEO sites by emailing spam complaints to digg. These community members’ definition of spam blogs is not what you might think. As long as the site has to do with SEO, they apparently consider it spam because the digg community generally detests anything to do with SEO.

“All the users decided to email digg on spam about the seo sites. It is their way of stopping them getting on digg even if they are not spamming. They also modified version 4 to stop spammers as well by removing the “befriend” feature on digg. Their version of spam is not splogs, but instead what the users don’t like (seo sites)”

This happened to Online Marketing Blog recently. No stories from our blog had ever been buried until last week. “5 Myths of SEO” and “Interview with Stacy Williams” were targeted. Does anyone reading this consider those stories misleading or spam?
The kicker is that we didn’t submit those stories. A few days later it was bye bye to our domain. To describe this as a rotten thing to do to a site is a gross understatement. I may be biased, but I would hardly consider Online Marketing Blog as spammy in any way. What do you think?
An email to digg support was returned with:

“When submitted stories are consistently reported as spam and users complain via our feedback email about submission spam, we ban the domain. The domain will not be unbanned. The domain would consistently get reported as spam otherwise.”
-The Digg Support Team.

I was at a loss until I put 2 and 2 together and suspected it was a concerted effort either by SEO-miffed digg users or competitors. The comments from the digg user above seemed to confirm this. Interestingly, a follow up email to digg support remains unanswered.
If you are keen on such activities, be sure to read Graywolf’s itemization of tactics on how to get a competitor’s site banned on digg with this post: “How to be a “Dirty Digger“. For me, it was a bit eye opening as to how easy it would be. Regardless, it’s a crappy thing to do.

[Contention]

This is totally unfair.

I read in the blog comments there that Sitepoint, A known site for posting credible and helpful content was banned as well.

We got the same e-mail from digg, quoted in the article word for word.

When submitted stories are consistently reported as spam and users complain via our feedback email about submission spam, we ban the domain. The domain will not be unbanned. The domain would consistently get reported as spam otherwise.”
-The Digg Support Team.

This can only mean that digg doesn't take the time out to investigate each case.

What about competing sites of similar content that want to bury and ban your site from digg? What happens then; a ban from a computer? No real investigation?

Digg is just out of control and power hungry. We will start an official petition discussed in another thread soon about this.

Digg is basically the Mafia - Search Engine Optimization is so important to people out there and Digg runs it. There is NOTHING anyone can do to stop this. As a matter of fact, the official petition post should be called "Digg, the Search Engine Optimization Mafia" I've never needed a lawyer little bro, but I think we can do something about this.

This really grinds my gears.

[Brighteyes]

I'm with y'all on this one. I stay as far away from them as possible.
It irks me that digg comes default with vBSEO. Did you edit it out? I don't see their icon in the posts here.

[SHP]

Originally Posted by Brighteyes

I'm with y'all on this one. I stay as far away from them as possible.
It irks me that digg comes default with vBSEO. Did you edit it out? I don't see their icon in the posts here.

EXACTLY

We removed their icon because we were banned.

I will have more to say about this when the official thread is posted.

[Brighteyes]

GOOD. I wish more sites would do that.

[iughk]

This is completely out of control

Some articles on the "Hypocrisy":
Alan Lewis: How to Get Banned by Digg
Popular Domain Names Banned by Digg!
Banned From Digg « John Chow dot Com
And the List of Domains Ditched by Digg Keeps Growing » 10e20 - Search, Design & Social
Site Banned By Digg.com?
URL banned by Digg.com - Webmaster Forum
Digg Corrupted: Editor's Playground, not User-Driven Website at Forever Geek

[photomom]

May I ask what exactly is digg? I read the first post, but didn't really "get it".

[designer4life]

WOW that is really crazy. That sounds like a load of crap to me. Thinks for bringing this up I will make sure not to use them anymore. I for one enjoy this forums content and Digg can kiss my A$$. I will must stop now.

[Xhris07]

That is something else to hear. I always thought they were a good site. It is weird how people can change the way a site operates. I agree I like this sites content to and I don't need Digg to tell me different.

[textbooksword]

this is infuriating. We should all pull together and speak out about this. BOYCOTT digg.com!

[Xhris07]

I can Digg it. (Sorry just had to throw that in there) Sounds good to me. Lets find a new domain called Diggthis.com and make it about digg.com

[Contention]

Ultimately I would love for as many sites possible to try and ban traffic FROM digg.

If we had an official record of the sites that have done so, I think we can really make an impact and punch some wholes in their proverbial wall.

Originally Posted by Xhris07

I can Digg it. (Sorry just had to throw that in there) Sounds good to me. Lets find a new domain called Diggthis.com and make it about digg.com

That's a great idea Xhris07

[Brighteyes]

Originally Posted by Xhris07

......... Lets find a new domain called Diggthis.com and make it about digg.com

LOLOLOL... I HAD a mouthful of juice til I read this!

[Leo]

Hello,

I do not really know much about Digg. But it seems such companies like Youtube etc have these policy where they do not fully investigate somehting then jump in with no facts and make assumptions. Digg should have a real human control what is deemed spam etc etc. Banning legit SEO based websites is not on. However this user tactics and company policy seems amateur and totally un-professional. People just will not use their system I think.

Thanks,

Leo

[Xhris07]

Thanks contention. diggthis.com is taken. I just checked. I tried.

[danielmichel]

I just purchased boycottdigg.com and boycottdigg.org

We're officially hippies!

[Xhris07]

HAHAHAHA that is cool. Just make sure that you are careful on how you run it. They can sue you if it is done wrong. As far as how comments are handled.

I think it is a great idea. Can't wait to see it. Keep us posted please.

[Brighteyes]

Oh that ought to be a blast! LOL

[photomom]

uhh hello? I still don't understand what Digg is?